Maturity-onset diabetes of the young facts for kids

Maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY) is a special type of diabetes. Unlike the more common types (like Type 1 or Type 2), MODY is caused by a change in just one gene. This change is passed down in families. It affects how your body makes insulin, which is a hormone that helps your body use sugar for energy.

MODY is also known as monogenic diabetes because it comes from a single gene change. Two common types are GCK-MODY (also called MODY 2) and HNF1A-MODY (MODY 3). Scientists Robert Tattersall and Stefan Fajans first described MODY in 1975.

What Are the Signs of MODY?

MODY is not as common as other types of diabetes. It is found in about 1% to 2% of people who are diagnosed with diabetes. If someone in your family has MODY, there is a high chance (over 95%) that close relatives will also get it. This is why finding out if someone has MODY is very important. People with MODY often have a family history of diabetes. Symptoms usually start when they are teenagers or young adults.

There are two main ways MODY can show up:

• Some types of MODY cause high blood sugar. This can lead to common diabetes symptoms like feeling very thirsty and needing to pee a lot.
• Other people with MODY might not have any symptoms at all. They might find out they have it by accident during a check-up. For example, a doctor might find high blood sugar during a routine test for something else. Sometimes, it's found when a pregnant person has a glucose tolerance test.

It can be tricky to diagnose MODY. Doctors might first think it's Type 1 diabetes if a young person is not overweight. Or they might think it's Type 2 diabetes if the person is overweight. If a pregnant person has it, it might be mistaken for gestational diabetes.

Knowing if someone has MODY is helpful for a few reasons:

• People with MODY might not need insulin shots. They might be able to take pills instead to control their blood sugar.
• It helps doctors check other family members. This can help find more cases of MODY early on.

How Does MODY Affect the Body?

All known forms of MODY happen because the pancreas does not make or release insulin properly. Insulin is made by special cells in the pancreas called beta cells. The changes in the genes affect how these cells work.

Many of these gene changes affect "transcription factors." These are like switches that turn genes on or off. One type of MODY is caused by a change in the glucokinase gene. Different changes in these genes can lead to different symptoms. For example, some changes might cause less insulin to be made, or symptoms might start at a different age.

How Common Is MODY?

In some places, like Saxony, Germany, MODY causes about 2.4% of diabetes cases in children under 15 years old. This shows that while it's not the most common type, it's still important to know about it.

The History of MODY

The term MODY was first used in 1964. Back then, diabetes was mainly split into "juvenile-onset" (for young people) and "maturity-onset" (for older people). These were roughly like what we now call Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.

At first, MODY was used for any young person who had high blood sugar but did not get very sick from it. Over time, doctors realized that this group included many different conditions. It included the inherited diabetes we call MODY today, but also Type 2 diabetes in young people.

Since the 1990s, we have learned much more about diabetes. The idea of MODY has become clearer. Now, MODY specifically means diabetes that is passed down in families and caused by a single gene change affecting insulin. It no longer includes Type 2 diabetes.

See also

In Spanish: Diabetes tipo MODY para niños